Book 13 begins where book 4 left off. The setting begins to change back to Ithaca. Odysseus is on a boat leaving the City of Sheria heading for Pylos. The whole time the boat is sailing to Ithaca, Odysseus is sleeping. A heavy wind blew them off course sending them to Ithaca. The whole time the boat is sailing to Ithaca, Odysseus is sleeping. The crew members/the Paeacians carry him off the boat and leave him in Ithaca while he is still sleeping, and then they leave him and sail away. Posieden becomes very angry when he discovers Odysseus in Ithaca. Just as the Paeacians are getting to the harbor of Sheria, Posieden turns their boat to stone causing it to sink. When Odysseus awakes, Athena has covered Ithaca in a mist causing Odysseus to not know what land he is in. Athena disguises herself as a shepherd and meets Odysseus to tell him he is indeed in Ithaca and also tells him it is time for him to punish the suitors. She then turns Odysseus into a beggar so no one will recognize him. This book ends with Odysseus about to punish one of the suitors.
Characters: Odysseus - Main Character Poseidon - Greek God Pallas Athena -Daughter of Zues Phaecians - People Odysseus has conflict with Zeus - Greek God Character: Athena
Athena is the daughter of Zeus and the Greek Goddess of Wisdom. She impacts Odysseus in a positive way in book 13. When he wakes up in Ithaca he thinks he is in a foreign place, but Athena shows up and tells him he is indeed in Ithaca. She later convinces him that it is time to punish the suitors. While she does this, she is disguised as a shepherd and disguises Odysseus as a beggar so no one will recognize him. Athena not only shows up in book 13, but also shows up in other books as well. When she shows up in other books, she usually shows up in the appearance of an old friend of Odysseus or a mentor. The reason why her showing up in other books is important is because she helps guide Odysseus throughout his journey back home.
Quotations: "Pallas Athena, daughter of Zeus-who always stands beside you, shields you in every exploit...and now I am here once more" (296).
"The bright-eyed goddess Athena led the way" (298).
"Surely I'll stand beside you, not forget you, not when the day arrives for us to do our work" (298).
Pallas Athena
Geography: The majority of this book takes place in Odysseus’ homeland, Ithaca. Odysseus has been trying to reach his homeland for the whole book yet is always prevented by the Poseidon, the god of the sea. At the start of this book, Odysseus is aboard a Phoenician ship that gets blown off course and ends up dropping him off on the coast of Ithaca. Odysseus doesn’t realize he has landed in Ithaca until Athena scatters the mist and the country stands out clear. He spends the rest of the book talking with Athena on what his next steps of action should be.
Quotations:
“‘…they’ve (Phoenicians) set him down in Ithaca, sound asleep, and loaded the man with boundless gifts-bronze and hoards of gold and robes…”’ Significance: The quote informs the reader where the Phoenicians dropped him off and with what he was left with.
“Odysseus woke from the sleep on native ground at last…but failed to know the land for the goddess Pallas Athena…showered mist all over…” Significance: The quote notifies the reader that Odysseus doesn’t know his location because of Athena’s mist.
“‘It’s (Ithaca) known the world around, to all who live to the east and rising sun, and to all who face the western mists and darkness… the name of Ithaca’s reached as far as Troy” Significance: Athena finds teasing Odysseus effective- she tells him of the world-renowned land: Ithaca as if he doesn’t know of Ithaca. Structure: In Book 13 of The Odyssey, Homer uses many structures including similes, dramatic irony, situational irony and metaphors. An example of a simile with dramatic and situational irony is “‘I pray to you like a god, I fall before your knees and ask for mercy!”’ Odysseus addresses Athena who appears to him in the form of a shepherd and it’s ironic because he prays to her like a god when she is one. Odysseus doesn’t know she is a god, only th reader knows. A metaphor in this book: “‘He tried to rob me of all the spoil I’d won at Troy, the plunder I went to hell and back to capture…”’ Odysseus compares he journey to Troy to a journey to hell. This could also be a hyperbole- his journey could never be as bad as going to hell. For half the book Athena appears “a young man…a shepherd boy” to Odysseus but the reader knows that this shepherd is really Pallas Athena. Also the reader knows that Odysseus lands in Ithaca but Odysseus “failed to know the land”, an example of dramatic irony.
Sparta: At the end of the Messenian revolt, Sparta became what is known as a military state. The society then centered their existance on military and city-state matters. Sparta was divided into 3 main classes, with Spartiates at the top (native Spartans), followed by perioeci (foreign people), and the helots (slaves) at the bottom. Sparta was a city that is well known for their soldiers. From the start of birth, males were bound to a life of war and fighting. The Spartans would only keep babies that were strong and fit and all other babies would be left to die. At the age of seven, every male Spartan would have to begin training to become a soldier. They were taught how to endure extreme pain, survive and discipline. After 13 years of training, a male Spartan would become a soldier (20 years old). The Spartan soldier continued to work in the military until age 60.
Sparta in The Odyssey:
The city of Sparta doesn't show up in book 13, but it does show up in other books in The Odyssey. One of the books Sparta shows up in is in Book 4. In book 4 Telemachus, the son of Odysseus, goes to Sparta to attend the separate weddings of the king and queens daughter and son.
Synopsis/Theme:
Book 13 begins where book 4 left off. The setting begins to change back to Ithaca. Odysseus is on a boat leaving the City of Sheria heading for Pylos. The whole time the boat is sailing to Ithaca, Odysseus is sleeping. A heavy wind blew them off course sending them to Ithaca. The whole time the boat is sailing to Ithaca, Odysseus is sleeping. The crew members/the Paeacians carry him off the boat and leave him in Ithaca while he is still sleeping, and then they leave him and sail away. Posieden becomes very angry when he discovers Odysseus in Ithaca. Just as the Paeacians are getting to the harbor of Sheria, Posieden turns their boat to stone causing it to sink. When Odysseus awakes, Athena has covered Ithaca in a mist causing Odysseus to not know what land he is in. Athena disguises herself as a shepherd and meets Odysseus to tell him he is indeed in Ithaca and also tells him it is time for him to punish the suitors. She then turns Odysseus into a beggar so no one will recognize him. This book ends with Odysseus about to punish one of the suitors.
Characters:
Odysseus - Main Character
Poseidon - Greek God
Pallas Athena -Daughter of Zues
Phaecians - People Odysseus has conflict with
Zeus - Greek God
Character: Athena
Athena is the daughter of Zeus and the Greek Goddess of Wisdom. She impacts Odysseus in a positive way in book 13. When he wakes up in Ithaca he thinks he is in a foreign place, but Athena shows up and tells him he is indeed in Ithaca. She later convinces him that it is time to punish the suitors. While she does this, she is disguised as a shepherd and disguises Odysseus as a beggar so no one will recognize him. Athena not only shows up in book 13, but also shows up in other books as well. When she shows up in other books, she usually shows up in the appearance of an old friend of Odysseus or a mentor. The reason why her showing up in other books is important is because she helps guide Odysseus throughout his journey back home.
Quotations:
"Pallas Athena, daughter of Zeus-who always stands beside you, shields you in every exploit...and now I am here once more" (296).
"The bright-eyed goddess Athena led the way" (298).
"Surely I'll stand beside you, not forget you, not when the day arrives for us to do our work" (298).
Geography:
The majority of this book takes place in Odysseus’ homeland, Ithaca. Odysseus has been trying to reach his homeland for the whole book yet is always prevented by the Poseidon, the god of the sea. At the start of this book, Odysseus is aboard a Phoenician ship that gets blown off course and ends up dropping him off on the coast of Ithaca. Odysseus doesn’t realize he has landed in Ithaca until Athena scatters the mist and the country stands out clear. He spends the rest of the book talking with Athena on what his next steps of action should be.
Quotations:
“‘…they’ve (Phoenicians) set him down in Ithaca, sound asleep, and loaded the man with boundless gifts-bronze and hoards of gold and robes…”’ Significance: The quote informs the reader where the Phoenicians dropped him off and with what he was left with.
“Odysseus woke from the sleep on native ground at last…but failed to know the land for the goddess Pallas Athena…showered mist all over…” Significance: The quote notifies the reader that Odysseus doesn’t know his location because of Athena’s mist.
“‘It’s (Ithaca) known the world around, to all who live to the east and rising sun, and to all who face the western mists and darkness… the name of Ithaca’s reached as far as Troy” Significance: Athena finds teasing Odysseus effective- she tells him of the world-renowned land: Ithaca as if he doesn’t know of Ithaca.
Structure:
In Book 13 of The Odyssey, Homer uses many structures including similes, dramatic irony, situational irony and metaphors. An example of a simile with dramatic and situational irony is “‘I pray to you like a god, I fall before your knees and ask for mercy!”’ Odysseus addresses Athena who appears to him in the form of a shepherd and it’s ironic because he prays to her like a god when she is one. Odysseus doesn’t know she is a god, only th reader knows. A metaphor in this book: “‘He tried to rob me of all the spoil I’d won at Troy, the plunder I went to hell and back to capture…”’ Odysseus compares he journey to Troy to a journey to hell. This could also be a hyperbole- his journey could never be as bad as going to hell. For half the book Athena appears “a young man…a shepherd boy” to Odysseus but the reader knows that this shepherd is really Pallas Athena. Also the reader knows that Odysseus lands in Ithaca but Odysseus “failed to know the land”, an example of dramatic irony.
Sparta:
At the end of the Messenian revolt, Sparta became what is known as a military state. The society then centered their existance on military and city-state matters. Sparta was divided into 3 main classes, with Spartiates at the top (native Spartans), followed by perioeci (foreign people), and the helots (slaves) at the bottom. Sparta was a city that is well known for their soldiers. From the start of birth, males were bound to a life of war and fighting. The Spartans would only keep babies that were strong and fit and all other babies would be left to die. At the age of seven, every male Spartan would have to begin training to become a soldier. They were taught how to endure extreme pain, survive and discipline. After 13 years of training, a male Spartan would become a soldier (20 years old). The Spartan soldier continued to work in the military until age 60.
Sparta in The Odyssey:
The city of Sparta doesn't show up in book 13, but it does show up in other books in The Odyssey. One of the books Sparta shows up in is in Book 4. In book 4 Telemachus, the son of Odysseus, goes to Sparta to attend the separate weddings of the king and queens daughter and son.
Work Cited:
"SparkNotes: The Odyssey: Books 12â14." SparkNotes: Today's Most Popular Study Guides. Web. http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/odyssey/section7.rhtml
Homer, and Robert Fagles. The Odyssey. New York: Penguin, 2006.
"Ancient Greece: Sparta." Washington State University - Pullman, Washington. Web. http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/GREECE/SPARTA.HTM